The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal: 04/01/2019

AWEA's Farrell: TransWest approval is good for Wyo., US energy | Budweiser's Earth Day ads follow the wind | Verizon sets all-renewable energy goal f

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April 23, 2019

News for wind power professionals and advocates

Industry Update

AWEA's Farrell: TransWest approval is good for Wyo., US energy

The 730-mile TransWest Express is a critical infrastructure project that will help Wyoming and other Western states access clean, low-cost energy while supporting necessary grid modernization efforts, says American Wind Energy Association Senior Vice President of Government and Public Affairs Amy Farrell. "Moving new transmission projects forward strengthens our national grid by making it more resilient while also creating good jobs and boosting local tax revenues for years to come," she says.

North American Windpower online (4/22)

Budweiser's Earth Day ads follow the wind

(Budweiser/YouTube)

Budweiser's Earth Day campaign from VaynerMedia featured customized radio spots delivered to locations based on real-time wind information to emphasize that the brand's beer is brewed using 100% renewable energy from wind turbines. The 96-hour push followed the wind's path across 1,300 miles, five states and 24 towns.

Campaign US (free registration) (4/22)

Verizon sets all-renewable energy goal for 2035

Verizon vowed to become carbon neutral by 2035 as part of its sustainability strategy spurred by more productive and efficient clean-energy technologies and a global trend toward being more eco-friendly. Verizon said it is exploring power purchase agreements and virtual power purchase agreements with wind projects and other sources to meet its goals.

Greentech Media (4/22)

Commentary: Renewables are a major nonpartisan job creator in the US

Jobs in wind energy and other renewables are soaring in the US as costs continue to fall and more states set clean energy goals, writes Energy Innovation Communications Director Silvio Marcacci. "But the best aspect of renewable energy job growth is that it doesn't matter how states voted in the last election," Marcacci notes, citing an American Wind Energy Association report that shows wind's footprint is in all 50 states.

Forbes (4/22)

Project Focus

Ohio LaFargeHolcim plant to reduce footprint with wind power

LafargeHolcim is adding three wind turbines at its Paulding, Ohio, cement plant to reduce its footprint. When completed, the turbines should provide roughly 20% of the plant's energy needs, reducing its carbon dioxide emissions by at least 9,000 tons each year.

Energy News Network (4/19)

RES nixes 49-turbine project planned for Mich.

Renewable Energy Systems has canceled the 49-turbine Summit Lake Wind Farm slated for Baraga County, Mich. The project hit delays and is no longer feasible in terms of costs or logistics, RES says.

The Associated Press (4/22)

Operations & Maintenance

New industry research effort on wildlife takes flight with seven new promising projects

Wind power is once again taking the lead on wildlife conservation. At AWEA's Wind Project Siting and Environmental Compliance Conference, the Wind Wildlife Research Fund (WWRF), an industry-led initiative to pool investment for wind and wildlife solutions, announced support for seven research projects aimed at tackling the industry's most difficult wildlife challenges. The initiatives are part of the industry's efforts to maximize wind's conservation potential.

Into the Wind blog (4/22)

Sponsored content from Deloitte

Asset performance managementMature asset performance management can do more than improve maintenance. By connecting systems across an enterprise, it can deliver insights to optimize operations, safety and drive financial results. Discover how to drive value beyond predictive maintenance.

Economy, Energy & Trends

Orsted, Eversource pledge $4.5M to R.I. offshore-wind industry

Orsted US Offshore Wind and Eversource will invest $3 million in offshore-wind education at the University of Rhode Island and $1.5 million for job training with the state labor department as they prepare to jointly develop the 400-megawatt Revolution Wind project near Martha's Vineyard. The pledge strengthens the state's role in as an offshore-wind leader, says Gov. Gina Raimondo.

The Associated Press (4/22)

Wind to help N.M. utility divest from carbon by 2040

The Public Service Co. of New Mexico has set a goal to source 100% of its electricity from carbon-free sources by 2040, and it will begin by pursuing approval in June to add up to 140 megawatts of wind. It will also shutter natural gas plants beginning in 2028 and offset the output with wind, solar and energy storage.

Albuquerque Journal (N.M.) (free content) (4/23)

Policy Watch

Fact check: New report on renewable portfolio standards misses the mark

The University of Chicago (UCH) released a "working paper" this week examining renewable portfolio standards (RPSs). Unfortunately, it's based on false pretenses and uses a questionable economic model to claim RPSs are substantially more costly to consumers than previously thought. While it is important to understand the effectiveness and impacts of these programs, the authors' use of unrealistic assumptions and faulty logic leads to biased estimates that don't align with real-world outcomes.

Into the Wind blog (4/23)

LEEDCo, university team up to study offshore wind in Lake Erie

The Lake Erie Energy Development Corp. will work with the University of Michigan's Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research to study and share data on Lake Erie, where the former is developing the six-turbine Icebreaker offshore wind project. "This data-sharing collaborative will give us the opportunity to work side by side with the research community to design the most advanced lake monitoring system in the Great Lakes," says LEEDCo President Lorry Wagner.

North American Windpower online (4/22)

AWEA News

Sam Enfield receives AWEA's Special Achievement Award

Sam Enfield, Senior Advisor at MAP Energy, was recognized last month with a Special Achievement Award at AWEA's Siting and Environmental Compliance Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in recognition of an unparalleled career in wind development and siting.

Into the Wind blog (4/22)

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Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.

H. Jackson Brown Jr.,
author

April is National Volunteer Month

These stories were selected and summarized by independent editors at SmartBrief Inc., not by AWEA's staff, and do not represent AWEA positions. They reflect the variety of daily coverage of American wind power.